I was reading Aliens of the Rim and I saw the comment from a Hiver on human advertising. It got me thinking of what a Hiver ad agency would be like, I came up with RC&M.

Lewis Roberts
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RC&M

RC&M is a new agency on Aubaine that helps clients promote their products or ideas. It was founded by three Hivers, Rodger, Chaco, & Malem, hence the name. It is not a pure advertising agency, but more of an advocacy agency. Companies or other organizations will come to the firm with a goal of improving sales, or increasing acceptance of a product. The agency does not only work for clients with products to sell; they will also work for groups or individuals who want to convince others of a certain point of view. A component of their campaign may be advertising, but they will also do more subtle things such as product placements and manipulations.

The Hivers founded the agency because it allows them to try many different manipulation techniques on humans while getting paid for it. They are also teaching these humans to be manipulators, which is a manipulation of its own. The agency consists of the three Hivers and a dozen or so humans. The entire team engages in the promotional campaigns.

Adventure Hooks:

1) To increase sales of a new soft drink, the company would try to hire one of the player characters working on a RCES ship to wear some clothing with the drink's logo. They would then work with the local media to follow that character and make them a minor celebrity. After pumping the character up to be a hero; the agency would create some minor scandal. Something with an edge such as a sexual escapade, drunken revelry, a minor physical confrontation with an overzealous media type or a torrid love triangle. The product which already has an edgy vibe to it would increase its "bad boy" image.

2) RC&H is working to promote the election campaign of a local official. Much of the campaign will be standard political fare, but there is another component. Through a false front, the firm hires the players to carry out a series of dirty tricks against the official. Then it will leak information to the press about the players implying that they are working for the opposition. This will lower the public's approval of the opposition and garner the client some sympathy. The players do not know who hired them, so they cannot prove anything either way.